Turn Your Fear of Death Into One of Life's Blessings
Few things in life generate as much fear as the fear of death. It is a universal condition, even though many people knowingly or unknowingly attempt to repress their fear of death. They don't give the topic much conscious thought, and yet interestingly, it doesn't seem to keep them from living a productive life. But that doesn't mean their fear of death isn't buried deep within their soul.
Nick Tosches said, "Mortality applies to every aspect of life. The fear of death is the driving fear of life." And Alex Karpovsky noted, "My day-to-day local issues are rooted in an underlying fear of death."
Deep down, each one of us realizes that death is a messed up reality that pervades our entire existence.
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So where did death come from? Well, "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin." (Romans 5:12) God is not the author of death. Instead, He is our Deliverer who rescues us from our frightful plight.
We must always remember that man was not created to die. When the Lord made Adam and Eve, the plan was for them to live forever in a place of perfection. And that is still God's plan for all of His children.
You see, God designed things so that we could enjoy an eternal relationship with our Creator. Why else would God place Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and why else would God promise eternity in paradise for His children even though we have sinned against Him?
If only everyone would "get it." If only everyone would ask God to forgive their sins and bring them into His eternal family.
It is sin within man that has blinded him to these eternal realities. And the devil works overtime in an effort to keep the blinders on man's ability to see things the way God sees them.
In fact, "the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the glory of Christ." (2 Cor. 4:4)
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14,15)
The fear of dying is natural, whereas the assurance of salvation is supernatural. One produces feelings of doom and gloom, while the other produces peace and comfort within the soul.
Do you have the assurance that heaven is your eternal home? If not, would you like to have such an assurance? There is only one way to step into that reality. If you will repent of your sin and trust Jesus to forgive you and wash away your sins with His blood, the power of God will flood your soul and the free gift of eternal life will be yours forever.
I know it sounds too good to be true. That's because our thinking has been warped by sin. We don't think straight when it comes to sin, grace, heaven, hell, salvation, God, the cross, and what it means to be saved, redeemed, forgiven, born again, and justified. This is a supernatural reality that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us through the Word of God.
Like everyone, you have a body, a soul, and a spirit. (see 1 Thess. 5:23) And unless your spirit comes alive through faith in Jesus Christ, you will not be able to enter into paradise after you die. We are all sinners, but the sin of unbelief trumps all other sins. It prevents a person from being born again, redeemed, justified, saved, and forgiven.
The miracle of the new birth brings the eternal blessings of God into your soul. It's the only way to enter God's family. This is why Jesus left heaven and came to earth to suffer and die on the cross. And after Jesus rose from the dead, His followers laid down their lives in their efforts to spread the truth about Christ.
Your fear of death may be repressed. And you may be ignoring its influence upon your soul. But regardless, you and I are on a train that will eventually end up at the cemetery. We are a day closer to the end of our life on earth than we were yesterday. Now that fact can either leave you terrified, or it can prompt you to consider the message of Christ.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though He dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25,26)
Fear and unbelief, or confidence and faith. Which road are you on? Which road would you like to be on? There is only one Savior for the soul, just like there is only one place of eternal joy and happiness.
In 100 years, or even much sooner, you and I will fully realize the impact of eternity. For now, you can address your fear of death, or you can repress it. But just like an illness in the body, ignoring it doesn't make it go away. It just prevents a person from discovering the remedy to sin and death.
Eventually, it becomes too late to do anything about it.
